Wesley B. Baker, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Department: Neurology
Graduate Group Affiliations
Contact information
3501 Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 8145713886
Email:
bakerw@chop.edu
bakerw@chop.edu
Publications
Education:
BS (Physics)
Bucknell University, 2005.
PhD (Physics)
University of Pennsylvania, 2015.
Permanent linkBS (Physics)
Bucknell University, 2005.
PhD (Physics)
University of Pennsylvania, 2015.
Description of Research Expertise
I am a physicist with specialization in optics in biological tissues. In 2015, I received my PhD in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania under the supervision of Arjun Yodh. I then completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship mentored by W. Andrew Kofke in the department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Emergent themes from my previous work include (1) studying ischemic pathophysiology with diffuse optics, (2) formulating new analytical models/paradigms to improve the fidelity of cerebral hemodynamic data based on optical signals, and (3) devising new clinical applications for diffuse optics, such as non-invasive monitoring of cerebral perfusion pressure. As a researcher in biomedical optics, I aim to develop optical tools for clinical use. Broadly, I envision designing clinical research that furthers the prognostic utility of optical tools in the treatment of acute brain injury. I also envision harnessing cerebral hemodynamic data from optical measurements in human patients and pre-clinical animal models to illuminate etiologies of neurological injuries/disorders with the hope of establishing novel therapies (e.g., ischemic stroke, hydrocephalus).Selected Publications
Favilla CG, Carter S, Hartl B, Gitlevich R, Mullen MT, Yodh AG, Baker WB, Konecky S: Validation of the Openwater wearable optical system: cerebral hemodynamic monitoring during a breath-hold maneuver. Neurophotonics 11(1): 015008, January 2024.Greenwood JC, Morgan RW, Abella BS, Shofer FS, Baker WB, Lewis A, Ko TS, Forti RM, Yodh AG, Kao SH, Shin SS, Kilbaugh TJ, Jang DH: Carbon monoxide as a cellular protective agent in a swine model of cardiac arrest protocol. PLoS One 19(5): e0302653, 2024.
Baker WB, Forti RM, White BR, Lynch JM, Yodh AG, Kilbaugh TJ, Ko TS: Modified Beer-Lambert Algorithm to Improve the Pulsatile Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy Blood Flow Signal. Optical Tomography and Spectroscopy, Optica Publishing Group 2024.
Emani VS, Ozturk C, Singh M, Long C, Duffy S, Gottlieb Sen D, Roche ET, Baker WB: Finite element modeling of abdominal near-infrared spectroscopy for infant splanchnic oximetry. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering 2024.
Baker WB, Forti RM, Heye P, Heye K, Lynch JM, Yodh AG, Licht DJ, White BR, Whang M, Ko TS, Kilbaugh TJ: Modified Beer-Lambert algorithm to measure pulsatile blood flow, critical closing pressure, and intracranial hypertension. Biomedical Optics Express 2024.
Matlis GC, Zhang Q, Benson EJ, Weeks MK, Andersen K, Jahnavi J, Lafontant A, Breimann J, Hallowell T, Lin Y, Licht DJ, Yodh AG, Kilbaugh TJ, Forti RM, White BR, Baker WB, Xiao R, Ko TS: Chassis-based fiber-coupled optical probe design for reproducible quantitative diffuse optical spectroscopy measurements PLoS One 19(7): e0305254, 2024.
Benson EJ, Aronowitz DI, Forti RM, Lafontant A, Ranieri NR, Starr JP, Melchior RW, Lewis A, Jahnavi J, Breimann J, Yun B, Laurent GH, Lynch JM, White BR, Gaynor JW, Licht DJ, Yodh AG, Kilbaugh TJ, Mavroudis CD, Baker WB, Ko TS: Diffuse Optical Monitoring of Cerebral Hemodynamics and Oxygen Metabolism during and after Cardiopulmonary Bypass: Hematocrit Correction and Neurological Vulnerability. Metabolites 13(11): 1153, November 2023.
Mavroudis CD, Lewis A, Greenwood JC, Kelly M, Ko TS, Forti RM, Shin SS, Shofer FS, Ehinger JK, Baker WB, Kilbaugh TJ, Jang DH: Investigation of Cerebral Mitochondrial Injury in a Porcine Survivor Model of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. J Med Toxicol. October 2023.
Silva LEV, Shi L, Gaudio H, Padmanabahn V, Morgan RW, Slovis JM, Forti RM, Morton S, Lin Y, Laurent GH, Breimann J, Yun B, Ranieri NR, Bowe M, Baker WB, Kilbaugh TJ, Ko TS, Tsui F: Prediction of Return of Spontaneous Circulation in a Pediatric Swine Model of Cardiac Arrest Using Low-Resolution Multimodal Physiological Waveforms. IEEE J Biomed Health Inform. (eds.). 27(10), October 2023.
Favilla CG, Forti RM, Carter S, Kofke WA, Kasner SE, Baker WB, Yodh AG, Messé SR, Cummings S, Kung DK, Burkhardt JK, Choudhri OA, Pukenas B, Srinivasan VM, Hurst RW, Detre JA: Microvascular reperfusion during endovascular therapy: the balance of supply and demand. J Neurointerv Surg. October 2023.